


Fires

by r_n_g_are_dead



Category: Glee
Genre: Childhood Friends, Family, Feels, Future Fic, M/M, Reunions, Separations, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 07:29:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/671863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r_n_g_are_dead/pseuds/r_n_g_are_dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are many kinds of fires. Fires that burn houses. Fires that burn in your heart. Fires that burn, period. Some fires are put out. Some remain dormant for years. Kurt and Blaine have experienced them all. AU where Kurt and Blaine have known each other their whole lives... each chapter is set 5 years apart, starting when they are 5 years old.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Over Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
> 
> Completed fic originally posted by author on FF.net on 9/20/12 under the username "I Need Space - And Fresh Air"

Chapter One - Oven Fire

Kurt picked up the handle of his plastic toy phone and forcefully pressed "9-1-1"on its plastic buttons. He heard giggles from across the room and promptly shot their source the best bitch-face that could possibly be mustered by a five-year old.

A smaller boy was sitting in the corner, sitting in front of a toy chest and surrounded by toppled over blocks and several Barbie dolls. He quieted his giggles, but his body still shook with the laughter he was holding in, causing his mop of dark curls to rustle on their own accord.

A displeased Kurt cradled his toy phone on his shoulder much like he had seen his parents do when they were on the phone and trying to scold him at the same time. "BLAINE! This is serious! My Easy Bake Oven is on FIRE!" Blaine's eyes grew wide as he watched Kurt point dramatically toward the child-size play table set up in the corner where his Easy Bake Oven sat.

It wasn't on fire. But that fact was irrelevant when Kurt Hummel had his mind set on playing pretend.

"So if you don't mind, I'm calling the FIRE DEPARTMENT." Kurt put extra emphasis on those last two words, hoping to get Blaine back into gear.

"Oh, right!" Blaine blindly flung his arm into the toy chest behind him. Tongue peaking out of his mouth in utter determination, he broke into a crooked grin when his little hand finally latched onto what it was searching for. He pulled his hand and a red plastic fireman's helmet out of the toy chest and briefly struggled to put it on over his uncontrolled hair.

After managing to get on his hat, Blaine scanned the floor by his feet to see what he could use as a phone to take Kurt's urgent call. A few seconds passed and he knew Kurt was growing impatient, so he shrugged to himself and picked up a Barbie doll. He bent her in half a bit so as to make her in the shape of a phone. He held the doll up to his ear and said in as deep a voice as he could manage, "Um, this is Fire Chief Anderson, what seems to be the problem, sir?"

Kurt rolled his eyes but couldn't help and smile at Blaine who he knew was trying desperately into character just to please him. So, now that he was sure Blaine was just as committed as he was to their game, Kurt really laid it on thick.

"HELP! My kitchen is burning down! My Easy Bake Oven is on FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE!"

Blaine giggled again, but quickly put on a serious face when Kurt glared at him. This was serious. That Easy Bake Oven was on fire and Fire Chief Anderson had to save the day.

Still using his deep, serious voice, Blaine spoke into Barbie's knees. "Don't worry, mister. I'll be right there!"

Blaine went to hang up his "phone," but stops abruptly when Kurt gives a short cough. Blaine realizes that Fire Chief Anderson didn't get all the information he needed to put out the fire.

"Excuse me, sir, what's the address of this fire?" Blaine raised his eyebrows at the boy who was still looking at him from across the room, silently asking if that was the right question.

"285 Sycamore! And hurry!" Kurt slammed the handle of his plastic phone down and Blaine folded his Barbie completely in half so she was kicking her own forehead. They threw their respective modes of communication aside and Blaine scrambled to his feet, one hand to his head to make sure his hat stayed in place.

Blaine was already wearing suspenders, but they were dangling off his hip. He gave a quick scan of the room and ran over to Kurt's closet. Kurt's eyes were wide as Blaine disappeared into this sacred space (just because he was five, didn't mean he didn't appreciate clothes). They stayed wide until Blaine emerged a minute later, clad in a pair of Kurt's yellow rain boots and a see-through rain slicker. Kurt could see that Blaine's suspenders were hastily yanked over his shoulders, as one of the straps was folded under itself. He smiled at Blaine's effort (even if he did go into Kurt's closet without asking) and quickly assumed the face of an Easy Bake Oven owner in distress.

Blaine ran across the room as best he could in boots that were a couple sizes too big for his tiny feet. As he came to a halt in front of Kurt (who had by this point dramatically flung an arm across his forehead), he almost fell over as his balance wavered while he was trying to keep his hat on his head. The boys were now standing in front of the play table where the unplugged Easy Bake Oven was apparently burning down Kurt's whole house.

"Oh, Fire Chief Anderson! Just in time! My Easy Bake Oven! There's so much smoke!" Kurt coughed a bit to try and heighten the reality of the situation.

"Don't worry – I'll save you!" Blaine brushed past Kurt and stood in front of the afflicted oven. He lifted his small hands, as if they were holding a heavy fire hose and mimed hosing down the oven. Kurt watched Blaine's face as the smaller boy scrunched up his nose and made whooshing sounds with his mouth. After what he thought was a proper amount of time being spent putting out the fire, Blaine turned to Kurt for approval.

Kurt gave a small nod of his head, then took character once again. "Oh, THANK YOU, Fire Chief! Thank you for saving my kitchen! How can I ever repay you?"

Blaine hazel eyes danced with glee. He grinned and assumed his deep voice once more, "No need for thanks, mister. Just doin' my job." And with that, Blaine tipped his hat at Kurt and sauntered back into the closet.

Kurt shook his head and went about plugging in his Easy Bake Oven. He bolted up, as if he just remembered something and ran over to the open door. "MOM! ME AND BLAINE ARE GONNA USE MY EASY BAKE OVEN, OKAY?"

He waited in the doorway for a response and smiled when it finally came. "I'll be right up, sweetie." He heard a door slam behind him and whipped his head around to see that Blaine had exited the closet. The rain boots and rain-slicker were gone, his suspenders were once again hanging by his knees, and his hair was a bit flat from the hat which was now back in his hand.

Kurt shook his head and wandered over to Blaine who looked ashamed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to slam the door." Kurt didn't care about the door – he was more concerned with Blaine's hair at the moment.

"That's not why I'm shaking my head, silly. Your hair is a mess." Kurt reached over and ran his hands through Blaine's curls, trying to bring them back to life.

Blaine blushed. "It's always a mess, Kurt."

"I know," Kurt smiled. "But I still like you anyway."

Elizabeth Hummel was about to walk through the door, juice boxes in hand, to supervise her son and his best friend as they used the toy that's not recommended for children under 8. She stopped before her foot crossed the threshold because she didn't want to interrupt the moment that was unfolding between the two children. They might only be five, but somehow she knew they were forever. The spark was there and she hoped it always would be.


	2. House Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Minor Character Death

Chapter Two – House Fire

Blaine was only ten years old, but he was convinced his world was ending. At least, that's what it felt like at the time.

He stood outside in the dark, holding his mom's hand as they both cried, watching flames shoot out from the roof of their Lima, Ohio home. His dad was nearby talking heatedly with a police officer. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but gauging from the wide range of flailing arm movements and hand gestures, it wasn't small talk about the weather.

Through his tears, Blaine watched the fire fighters at work all around him. Their trucks had arrived maybe 30 minutes ago, but it was hard to remember the exact timeline when everything seemed to happen at once.

He was sleeping soundly, arms wrapped around the Batman stuffed toy Kurt got him for his birthday last year. Then, all of a sudden, he wasn't…

Smoke alarms filled the Anderson household, prompting Ethan and Vanessa Anderson to bolt out of bed. They were the kind of parents who practiced safe exit strategies with their sons, but never actually thought they'd need to use them. Since Cooper was already at college, they only had to grab their youngest son and get him safely out front.

Blaine awoke with a start when his mom burst into his room, yelling for him to get up and go with her. He was so confused he didn't hear the smoke alarms until they were halfway down the stairs.

It was only when he and his mom were standing outside in front of the house that Blaine actually realized what was going on. He saw the flames on the roof, moving in the night like they were dancing.

Fire. His house was on fire.

He stood there watching the flames for what felt like forever, but must have only been a few minutes.

"BLAINE!"

He whipped his head around toward the familiar voice of his best friend and saw Kurt running at him full-speed, Burt Hummel walking behind him.

Kurt flung his arms around Blaine and buried his face in Blaine's neck. Blaine instinctively wrapped his arms around Kurt, calming his friend down even though his house was the one that was on fire. He rubbed slow circles on Kurt's back, whispering that it was okay. (Even though it really wasn't… his house was on fire.)

For some reason, Blaine forgot about the fire for a fraction of a second and his mind raced back to a similar situation a couple years ago. There wasn't a fire then that brought these two boys together in Blaine's front yard in the middle of the night. No, it was something much worse.

Kurt's mom passed away after losing her fight with breast cancer. It happened in the middle of the night and Kurt begged for his father to let him see his best friend. Wanting to offer his son as much comfort as possible, Burt phoned the Anderson household at 2 am and explained to Vanessa why he was calling so late.

By this time, Blaine was awake from hearing his mom's voice in the hallway. He wandered out of his bedroom, eyes squinting from trying to adjust to the overhead light. Blaine watched his mom hang up the phone and put a hand up to her mouth, unable to completely block the sob that escaped her throat. "Mama?" Vanessa spun around to see her youngest son looking at her with a worried look painted all over his still-sleepy face. She ran over to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Hey, buddy. That was Mr. Hummel. He's going to bring Kurt over for a little bit right now, okay?" Blaine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was the middle of the night – surely it was too late for a play date. Vanessa's face crumbled. "Kurt's mommy died, Blaine." Blaine's eyes went wide and tears started forming. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I'm so sorry. But I need you to do something for me, okay? I need you to be strong for Kurt right now. Can you do that for me?" Blaine nodded, though the rest of his small body shook from trying to hold back from bursting into tears.

Vanessa gave a small smile and wiped some escaped tears from her son's eyes. She sniffled, "That's my good boy. Now come on, let's go wait for the Hummels outside, okay?" Blaine nodded again and slipped his hand into his mom's.

Minutes later, Kurt was running across the Anderson's front yard and launched himself at Blaine. "BLAINE!" Kurt was already sobbing and wrapped his arms around his shorter friend in a tight hug. Blaine pulled his friend in as tight as possible and looked over at his own mom in panic. She had tears in her eyes as she nodded her head at him, silently indicating that he was doing everything right. Vanessa turned to Burt and put a reassuring hand on his arm.

Blaine shook his head at the memory then snapped back to the present and watched Burt put a reassuring hand on Vanessa's arm. The two grown-ups turned away from their sons to talk quietly about the reality of the situation.

The boys stood holding each other for awhile until Kurt pulled away so he could look Blaine in the eye. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Blaine. I just got so scared that you were hurt or something." Kurt wiped tears from his face and gave Blaine an apologetic look. Blaine offered a small smile in return and shrugged. He wasn't hurt. Not on the outside, at least.

Kurt couldn't return the smile. Here they were, in the middle of the night, standing in their pajamas near the street. Blaine's hair was sticking up even worse than usual and he looked like he was about to fall apart. Kurt sighed and ran his hands through Blaine's hair to smooth down the curls. On any other night, Kurt would have teased Blaine about his more than disheveled state. But not tonight.

Not tonight.

Blaine closed his eyes and leaned into his friend's reassuring touch. His small frame released a deep breath and then slumped forward a little bit. Blaine was on the shorter side for his age anyway, but tonight he looked even tinier as his body involuntarily closed in on itself.

Kurt snaked an arm around Blaine's waist and Blaine leaned his head onto Kurt's shoulder. They stood like that for awhile, watching the firefighter's bustle around them. Hoses were carelessly dragged across Vanessa's meticulously planted flowerbeds. Chunks of burnt roof were tossed about the lawn.

By this time, Ethan had finished talking with the police officer and had made his way over to his wife and Burt. He shook Burt's hand then put his arm around his wife's waist as she molded herself to his side and leaned onto his shoulder. They chatted for a bit and Burt couldn't help but sneak a peak at their sons and notice they were intertwined much the same as the married couple standing in front of him.

Ethan and Vanessa were called away by the fire chief who needed to ask them some questions. Burt shook Ethan's hand again and gave Vanessa a hug. He watched them walk away, then turned his attention toward the boys. He smiled a sad smile. He was sad for Blaine and his parents because they were good people and no one – especially them – should have to watch their own home burn. But he smiled because Blaine had Kurt.

Burt had always known Kurt was – well, special. He didn't get it a lot of the time, but he didn't question it. Kurt was his mother. He was kind. He was caring. He was compassionate. Burt knew Kurt would probably grow up more sensitive to the world than other boys and he hoped to God that his son would find someone equally as brave as him to share his life with. Maybe he already had.

Blaine snuggled into Kurt's side just a little closer, causing Burt's heart to break just a little bit more. Those boys were best friends, hopefully for life. They've already had to deal with stuff few boys their age would ever experience and he just hoped that they would be strong enough for the challenges Burt knew they faced ahead.


	3. Fire and Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I also do not own James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" (you'll understand once you get through the chapter...).

Chapter 3 – Fire and Rain

Kurt Hummel should not have been this nervous for Regionals. He was now a sophomore and was one of the original members of McKinley High School's New Directions.

Could Mr. Schue have come up with a gayer name for the glee club? Sheesh.

He had come out of the closet in the fall. It wasn't as Earth-shattering as he feared it would be, probably because his dad was the greatest dad of all time. He might not have admitted this much to Burt Hummel, but Kurt knew he was a lucky kid to have someone at home who loved and accepted him for who he was. It was too bad his dad had to work at the shop today; it would have been nice to have some parental support at Regionals.

Regionals. Right.

There was no need to be nervous. Sure, their set-list was comprised entirely of Journey songs that may have been in vogue well before he was born. But, they were crowd pleasers and at least he had a solo. Okay, it was one line, but that was better than nothing. Maybe next year he'd be a featured vocalist instead of just Rachel and Finn.

If he couldn't stand out vocally, at least he could stand out for being himself. Being different was the best thing about Kurt and he knew it. Even when he was dressed like the rest of the guys in the glee club (damn those matching costumes), he knew he wore his clothes just a little bit better than everyone else.

Even though he usually spent the most time among the glee kids getting ready before a performance, somehow Kurt finished first today. He kissed Mercedes on the cheek and told her he was going to watch an all-boys a cappella group he saw on the program. For some reason they weren't competing in the same bracket as the New Directions, so it wasn't like he was supporting the enemies. If anything, he just wanted to hear (okay, ogle) at some singing boys that were probably his age. Maybe that would help him forget about his pre-competition jitters…

...

Blaine Anderson should not have been this nervous for Regionals. Even though he was a freshman (again), he was used to the show choir circuit from performing in his last high school's glee club.

This year was different, though. This year Blaine didn't get heckled by the other kids in his group for being gay or get gum stuck in his uncontrollably curly hair. Fingers crossed that this year he would avoid getting beat up at a school dance so badly that he'd have to repeat freshman year for a third time.

No - This year Blaine fit in because this year Blaine was at Dalton. This year no one cared if he was gay because Dalton had a strictly enforced anti-bullying policy. This year no one could stick gum – or anything for that matter – in his hair because his mom made him cut it short and coat it in a thick layer of hair gel (nothing could stick to that). This year Blaine was appreciated for his talent.

This year Blaine had a solo.

Oh right… that's why he was nervous.

He loved his fellow Warblers (his glee club was named after birds that were more easily heard than seen – how appropriate since everybody was forced to wear the same navy blazer and ill-fitting gray pants), and it really was an honor to be given a solo as a freshman.

No, not given, he reminded himself. He EARNED the solo.

Deep breaths, Blaine.

Normally a freshman wouldn't even be allowed to audition for the Warblers, but the council made a special exception in Blaine's case because he should have been a sophomore. Blaine thought they were only nice to him because they heard rumors about why he was repeating his freshman year, but he was grateful to be accepted even if it might have been out of pity.

This wasn't their only gig today, so he would have to sing his solo twice. Once in just a few minutes, then later at a nursing home. For some reason, David and Wes booked that performance only a couple hours after this one. They were literally going to have to hop back on the bus right after they were done onstage if there was any chance on getting to the nursing home on time. That sucked. Blaine wanted to watch the other groups sing. It would have been nice to scope out the competition, and he heard there was this other group that was singing Journey songs. They weren't in the Warblers' competition bracket, but it still would have been nice to watch them perform. Oh well…

Blaine stood in front of the mirror in the Warblers' green room and straightened his tie for the umpteenth time. Even though he was surrounded by the rest of the Warblers, he was in the zone. It was only when the lights blinked overhead signaling five minutes until they hit the stage that Blaine snapped back to reality.

...

Kurt snuck into the back of the auditorium and slid into an open seat on the aisle just as a voice through the overhead speakers announced, "And now, from Westerville, Ohio, here's the Dalton Academy Warblers!"

The curtain parted and Kurt's first reaction was to blanche at the hideous matching uniforms that were not doing anything for any of the couple dozen boys that were standing up on stage, all with their hands clasped behind their backs.

However Kurt's jaw dropped when all the boys started singing Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." He might not have been able to differentiate between who was singing what because everyone was just a flash of navy blazers and those gray pants (were they polyester?). They didn't dance, per se, but there were definitely some advanced two-steps moves combined with some well-choreographed line changes. It was like watching a marching band without the instruments. No – there were instruments. Kurt could tell that the taller boy in the back was the one responsible for all the drum sounds. Amazing.

Kurt found himself shooting up out of his seat and clapping wildly with the rest of the audience when the song ended. After a lengthy applause, he dropped back down into his seat and eagerly waited for the second song to start.

After a nod from a thin Asian boy, the group sang their opening harmony in perfect unison. Kurt was grateful that the New Directions weren't up against these boys.

He didn't recognize the second song right away and listened to the opening lyrics to see if he could figure it out. They weren't moving around for this number, so it was easier to focus on the words instead of gawking at all of the dancing and singing boys.

When it came time for the chorus, Kurt finally realized they were singing James Taylor's "Fire and Rain." (I guess the New Directions weren't the only group that had a theme for their program.) As the last line in the first stanza came to an end, a short boy with very shiny hair worked his way to the front of the group and the rest of the boys arranged themselves around him.

The boy opened his mouth and started singing

Won't you look down on me, Jesus

You've got to help me make a stand

You've just got to see me through another day

My body's aching and my time is at hand

And I won't make it any other way

Kurt melted in his seat just a little bit. This boy's voice was gorgeous – not just the texture, but the passion behind every word. He wasn't just singing lyrics… the words came easily and full of truth like they were his original thoughts. Kurt found himself blushing because it felt like he was watching someone have a very public private moment.

...

Blaine was thankful the spotlights were so bright so that he couldn't see the audience. Even though he was surrounded by his fellow Warblers, he felt alone on the stage and almost preferred it that way – at least in this moment for this song.

It was time for the chorus again and Blaine involuntarily closed his eyes as the lyrics poured out of his mouth as if they were a confession.

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend

But I always thought that I'd see you again

On the last line, Blaine opened his eyes and could feel a tear running down his cheek. He was too scared to wipe it away, so he let it be as he shuffled to his spot near the back of the Warblers. His solo was over and her felt relief, but also an incredible amount of pain.

Blaine understood those lyrics better than any of his fellow Warblers knew. He saw lonely times – especially being the new kid in the group. Sure, the Warblers were his friends, but he didn't have a best friend. Not anymore, any way. That position hadn't been filled since he moved away from Lima a few years ago after their house burnt down.

Blaine always wondered what happened to Kurt Hummel.

...

Kurt knew the Warblers were still singing, but wasn't really paying attention to them anymore because he was too preoccupied thinking about their soloist. Even though he was sitting in the back of the auditorium, Kurt could tell that that short boy with the shiny hair got really emotional toward the end of his solo. He swore he saw light reflecting off of something on his face. Was that a tear? Wait… was he crying too?

He wiped his own cheeks and found that they were wet. That song hit a little bit too close to home.

Kurt was lonely. Sure, the other kids in New Directions were his friends, but he didn't have a best friend. Mercedes was close, but even she never quite measured up to his best friend that moved away a few years ago after his family's house burnt down.

Kurt always wondered what happened to Blaine Anderson.


	4. Kitchen Fire

Chapter 4 – Kitchen Fire

Kurt rounded the corner of the street where he shared a cramped apartment with his stepbrother and saw a fire truck parked outside their building, flanked by several firefighters who were chatting among themselves. This was not good. He knew he should not have left Finn alone while he got the rest of the ingredients from the grocery store.

He sprinted the half a block, not quite caring that the can of whipped cream was smacking against the buttons of his new coat. As he raced up the stairs to their fifth-floor walk up, he did notice that none of their neighbors had evacuated their apartments. That was a good sign, right?

There was no need to fling open the door to Apt 5D because the door was wide open. Smoke and the smell of burnt peaches crept up Kurt's nose, causing him to scrunch it up in an attempt to block out the offending odors. It didn't help.

Kurt waved his hands in front of his face to try and clear the air as he made his way toward the kitchen. He saw his stepbrother towering over a firefighter who still had his or her helmet on. Although he couldn't see the firefighter's face, Kurt gathered he or she must have been lecturing Finn on preventative fire measures one should take in the kitchen because there was a lot of hand gestures to which Finn could only respond by squinting his eyes and scratching his head.

Not wanting to interrupt just yet, Kurt quickly scanned the room to appraise the damage. The top of the stove was covered in whatever dry chemical was used to put out the fire. He shook his head, silently cursing Finn for getting started on the peaches flambé without his supervision. The rest of the kitchen was a mess, but he knew that was Finn's fault too. There was water on the floor – probably Finn trying to put out the fire himself. Kurt was glad at least his brother had the sense to eventually call the fire department.

The firefighter must have stopped talking because Finn heaved a heavy sigh and then nodded his head as if he understood what he was told. Finn surveyed the room and finally realized his stepbrother was back and gave him a half smile. "Hey, bro."

The firefighter turned slightly where he or she stood to try and get a peak at whom Finn was addressing. The firefighter's eyes grew wide, but Kurt's attention remained solely on Finn.

"Jesus, Finn. You couldn't have waited 10 minutes for me to get back? How many times do I have to tell you that you aren't allowed to do the flambé part? Ever. You caught my kitchen on FIRE!"

"Kurt?"

Kurt did a double take because he was looking at Finn, but Finn didn't say his name and there was only one other person in the room. His head snapped toward the voice to see it came from the firefighter, whose face was now blurred by arms removing that bulky helmet.

When the helmet was off and firefighter's arms were finally lowered, Kurt was left staring into hazel eyes that he was long convinced he would never see again. Finn's eyebrows furrowed in epic confusion as his stepbrother's jaw dropped. Kurt's eyes widened and his chest heaved in surprise.

"Blaine? Blaine Anderson?"

Blaine's heart melted at the sound of his name coming from Kurt's mouth. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding in and his shoulders dropped a bit, as if some of the weight he had been carrying for the past ten years was finally gone. He remained still as he watched his childhood best friend shake his head in utter disbelief.

"You moved away. You moved away and… Blaine, what are you doing here?"

Finn chose this moment to speak up. "Um, he put out the fire, dude," he stated with such certainty that there wasn't even room for a hint of sarcasm. "Wait, how do you two know each other?"

Kurt was still shaking his head in disbelief. Blaine carefully shifted his uniformed body so he could answer Finn directly. "We, uh, used to be best friends. When we were kids."

Finn smiled a bit, almost entirely in understanding. "Oh, cool. Back in Ohio? Wow, small world, man. So you were Kurt's, like, first boyfriend?"

This caught Kurt's attention and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "FINN!" He then quickly glanced at Blaine and begged a silent apology. Hazel eyes locked into blue like opposing magnets and Blaine offered a small, crooked smile of understanding at Kurt. He then turned back to Finn.

"Look, I have to head back down to the truck." Because he was addressing Finn, Blaine couldn't see the sudden pained look on Kurt's face. Kurt didn't want Blaine to leave. Not now. Not again. "Promise me you will never, EVER, try and flambé anything without Kurt's supervision. Okay?" Finn nodded his head in fierce understanding. Blaine gave the taller boy a firm nod and then turned to Kurt where his expression softened instantly. "I have to go. I'm sorry. But I'm, um, off in a couple hours. Can I call you when I'm done and we can meet up for coffee or something? Please?" His voice was soft and on the verge of pleading. He didn't think his heart could feel so full of hope and pain at the same time.

Kurt gave a small nod. He was still holding the plastic bag with whipped cream in it, so he took his free hand and dug around in his coat pocket until he found his phone. He held it up in front of him and swallowed hard as he stepped toward Blaine. The fireman still had his gloves on and his helmet in hand, so Kurt flipped through a few screens on his phone and typed furiously with his right thumb as Blaine gave Kurt his phone number. When he was done, he looked up and the boys locked eyes once again. Both wished Blaine didn't have to go, but Blaine had already overstayed his welcome. He was surprised none of the other guys came up to tell him to get back to the truck.

"Text me, okay? And then I'll have your number. I'll call you as soon as I'm done, Kurt. I promise." Kurt just nodded, still not quite believing Blaine was standing there in front of him. Still not quite believing that he would see Blaine again. They were supposed to keep in touch when Blaine moved, but that didn't happen. That couldn't happen again.

Blaine somehow knew exactly what was racing through Kurt's mind. "I promise, Kurt. I'll call. Just text me, please?" Kurt nodded again and Blaine smiled as he headed toward the door.

...

Kurt sat at a corner table in a surprisingly quiet coffee shop a few blocks away from Blaine's station. Two cups of coffee, both untouched, sat on the table in front of him. He twirled his phone in his hands, stopping every few seconds to check the time. 6:03.

Blaine said he'd be there at 6:00.

Just as Kurt was going to check his phone's clock again, he heard a door open and a bell jingle. He whipped his head up and saw Blaine rushing through the door.

"Sorry. I'm sorry, Kurt. I'm late, I know." He dropped down into the chair across from Kurt, an earnest look of apology written all over his face. "I'm sorry."

Kurt couldn't help but give him a half smile. Although a small part of him worried that Blaine wouldn't show up, the rest of him was relived to have his childhood best friend sitting mere feet in front of him. He was still nervous though. It's been a long time. He's worried it's been too long.

"Well, it's been, what, ten years? Waiting another three minutes shouldn't kill me, right?"

Neither boy smiled at Kurt's attempt at a joke.

Kurt's cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat, wanting desperately to move past his previous quip. "Um, I got you a coffee. It's just a medium drip because I wasn't sure of your order, so –"

"-Thank you," Blaine cut him off. "Um, thanks." His cheeks flushed and he was equally flustered, so he gave himself a moment by taking a sip from the cup closest to him. He normally would have put some cinnamon in his coffee, but Kurt wouldn't know that. He focused his eyes on the table, not quite knowing what to say next.

Kurt gave Blaine a quick once over while he sipped his coffee. He looked so different, and yet he still looked the same. The first thing Kurt noticed was his hair. It was still curly, but cropped closer to his head and much more under control than he ever saw when they were kids. Blaine was still small – or at least shorter than Kurt. But Kurt was plenty aware of how nicely Blaine filled out the NYFD t-shirt he was wearing and the arms muscles that flexed as Blaine held onto his mug.

Blaine could feel Kurt's eyes on him as he drank. If he wasn't in such a hurry on his way in, he would have stopped to marvel at Kurt's legs in those black skinny jeans he had on, or the way his purple button-up shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal a patterned scarf tucked into it. As he put his cup down, his thoughts flickered back to something Finn asked in the kitchen. He asked if Blaine was Kurt's first boyfriend. This would imply that Kurt had boyfriends – or rather, that Kurt was gay.

Blaine was too.

He put his coffee cup down and somehow mustered up enough courage to look Kurt in the eye. As nervous as he was, once he was staring into those blue eyes that he never forgot, his body relaxed.

Kurt noticed Blaine's change in posture. Somewhere in the last few seconds the tension left his shoulders and that allowed Kurt to feel more at ease too. He smiled.

"It's so good to see you, Blaine. Really."

Blaine smiled back.

Kurt's eyebrows rose as he launched into his first of many questions. "So, what are you doing in New York? Besides putting out kitchen fires started by my brother?"

Blaine lifted his eyebrows in return and answered as best he could. He came to New York to pursue a degree in music education and started volunteering as a firefighter. When firefighting became a bigger passion, he decided to make that a full time job, still playing gigs at local coffee shops when he could. He learned that Kurt was studying fashion at Parsons. That made sense – Kurt always took pride in his clothes, even when they were really little.

They drank coffee and swapped stories. Blaine asked about Finn. "Since when do you have a brother?!" Kurt almost spat out his coffee when Blaine told him about his own brother's acting career. "Oh my God, I love those commercials! How did I not realize that was Cooper?" Blaine finally noticed Kurt's outfit. "Um, that scarf… I really like it." But it was Kurt who finally asked the big question they were both dancing around for hours now, "Why didn't we keep in touch?"

Each boy felt horrible for not contacting the other, though neither knew what they could have done differently. It turned out Blaine didn't move once, but four times before he graduated from high school. Even though he really never liked to talk about it, Blaine didn't hesitate to tell Kurt about how he was bullied after he came out in middle school. He told Kurt how that lead to him being hospitalized after going to a Sade Hawkins dance with a boy and being forced to repeating his freshman year of high school. Kurt was horrified.

Blaine explained that his parents decided it was best for him to just start over at Dalton with no ties to his past. Kurt admitted that he tried a few times to find Blaine on various social media sites, but never had any luck. Blaine wasn't surprised. He wasn't allowed on Facebook and the Andersons kept their phone number private. They told Blaine that him missing out on a social life was a small price to pay for his own safety.

Kurt instinctively reached across the table, placed his right hand over Blaine's left and brushed his thumb over his friend's knuckles. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to go through that alone."

Blaine ducked his head and gave a small smile. As much as those memories haunted him to this day, part of him thought that all of that was supposed to happen so that he ended up right here right now.

He swallowed hard and found the strength to look Kurt in the eye again. His small smile grew into a slightly larger crooked one. "God, I've missed you, Kurt."

Kurt immediately felt tears welling up in his eyes. "I missed you too, Blaine. So much. And I wish there was some way to get these last ten years back. Ten years… you know that's half of our lives?"

Both boys scoffed and drifted away from the conversation for a few moments. Kurt was still absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over Blaine's knuckles when a thought suddenly came to him.

"Wait. You went to Dalton?"

Blaine's eyebrows rose as he turned his attention toward Kurt. "Yeah. Private school. Terrible uniforms. I, uh, even sang in their glee club. We were called the –"

"-Warblers." Kurt finished the sentence for him. His hand stopped, now dead weight resting atop Blaine's hand.

Blaine frowned, cocked his head, eyebrows now furrowed. "Warblers. Yeah."

"I saw them sing. Sophomore year. At Regionals."

Silence.

Blaine stared at his empty coffee mug as he did the math in his head. If Kurt were a sophomore, then Blaine would have been a sophomore. No wait, he repeated freshman year, which meant…

His eyes widened as Kurt looked on and put the pieces together.

"Oh my god. That was you." Kurt's eyes welled up again. "During their second song, there was a short boy with shiny hair and he sang…" he pulled his hand away from Blaine's and used it to wipe a stray tear from his eye. "He sang with such raw emotion that I cried. That was you, wasn't it?"

Blaine's own eyes began to burn as he gave a small nod. That solo was for Kurt. Part of him was overwhelmed that Kurt heard it, but more of him felt defeated for not knowing he and Kurt were in the same place at the same time all those years ago. A flurry of "What ifs" raced through his mind, causing his heart to hurt.

He looked up at Kurt and knew Kurt must have been thinking the same thing. Both boys looked destroyed, but what was done was done. They didn't know. How could they have known?

Blaine was the first one to snap back to their present situation. He sniffled, causing Kurt to blink and refocus on his friend. He swallowed hard and slowly put his hand back on the table, palm facing up.

"Well, we're both here now, right?" Blaine's question provoked a small smile from Kurt. He nodded.

Just as Kurt was reaching across the table to put his hand in Blaine's, his phone began to ring, pulling them both out of the moment. Kurt's hand flew into his pants pocket. After a brief struggle, he pulled the phone out, rolled his eyes and brought it up to his ear.

"What is it now, Finn?"

Blaine retracted his hand from the table and watched as Kurt listened. Although he was a little disappointed in the interruption, he couldn't help but smile as Kurt nodded his head and shook his head at various intervals in the conversation. He could tell Kurt was doing everything in his power not to cut off his brother. After a minute or so, Kurt heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll be there in, like, fifteen minutes. Just don't touch anything else, okay? Goodbye." Kurt pressed the End Call button on his phone and looked at Blaine with an extremely apologetic look.

"I really hate to say this, but I need to go." Kurt frowned, not wanting to leave Blaine just yet. Part of him worried that if he left now, Blaine would just disappear again.

Somehow Blaine picked up on this. "No, it's fine, Kurt, go. We'll see each other again soon, I promise." Kurt raised his eyebrows, eyes wide and full of hope. "I promise."

They both got up from the table and brought their bevy of empty coffee mugs to the area near the trashcans where they got were stacked in order to be washed.

"Look, Kurt. I have your number and you have my number, and we live in the same city. We'll see each other. We can even see each other tomorrow, if you want."

The cups make a spectacular clanking sound as they set them down.

Kurt sighed. He did want that. "I do want that." He wanted that more than he thought he could want that. "I really want that… is that okay? I mean, are you really free tomorrow, or should I have Finn set something else on fire?"

Blaine closed his eyes as he chuckled, "No!" Kurt smiled, pleased that he made his friend laugh. Blaine opened his eyes back up and looked at Kurt. "I'm free tomorrow night after 7:00. Why don't you text me later and tell me when and where you want to meet up and I promise, I promise, I will be there. Okay? I can't not see you for another ten years."

Kurt's cheeks flushed at Blaine's admission. Blaine's did too.

The boys walked through the double doors of the coffee shop together, and then turned toward each other. After a moment of awkward silence, Blaine opened his arms toward Kurt and the taller boy flung himself at his friend. They wrapped their arms tightly around the other person and squeezed. A wave of familiarity washed over them. It felt right. It felt like home. They might have lost ten years, but they had to put that behind them now. Tomorrow was a new day.

They weren't starting over, though. That spark between them had never left.


	5. Candle Fire

Chapter Five – Candle Fire

The power was out again.

Blaine was on his knees, flashlight in his mouth, digging around with both hands in the bottom drawer of a kitchen cabinet to see if he could find the large vanilla scented candle he knew Kurt bought last week.

The weather had recently taken a turn for the worse, and though the hurricane that hit the Gulf never really quite got up to New York City, the residual storms were bad the past few days and power outages seemed to be the norm as of late.

"Aha!" Blaine exclaimed around the flashlight as he procured the candle and a partial box of matches.

He aimed the flashlight at his watch. It was 7:49 and Kurt was due back around 8:00. Blaine didn't have much time.

Quickly, but carefully, he made his way back to the living room. Though they had moved in about a month ago, there were still some boxes waiting to be unpacked. This bothered Kurt to no end, but even he didn't have enough time to get rid of them. Blaine was busy at the firehouse, having just been promoted, and Kurt was personal assistant to an editor at a fashion magazine and never seemed to have a minute for himself anymore.

Tonight was supposed to be special. Tonight Blaine needed the power to be on.

But it wasn't, so he just had to make the best of the situation.

There were already candles lit around the room (he had double checked that none of them would tip – how horrible would it be for a firefighter to set his own apartment on fire?), but Blaine wanted Kurt's candle to be the centerpiece for the makeshift picnic he had set up on the floor.

Blaine had planned to give Kurt a relaxing and romantic evening. He had filled the fridge with fresh vegetables, fruits and cheeses, bought the best bottle of wine within his limited price range, and made sure there were enough supplies stocked in their nightstand so they could potentially stay in bed together for a week if they wanted to.

Having to scrap some of his prior plans, Blaine tried to improvise a meal without having to open the fridge. He cut up some fruit he found on the counter and arranged them on a plate, hoping the presentation would make up for the fact that they were apples and bananas and not the strawberries and grapes that were buried in the fridge. The box of fancy crackers looked silly next to a canister of Easy Cheese, and instead of the cheesecake Blaine had bought for tonight, he had grabbed a half-empty box of Girl Scout cookies that was still in the cupboard. He was thankful the wine wasn't meant to be chilled, so the bottle was sitting out with two mismatched goblets flanking it.

Blaine knelt on the floor and put Kurt's candle on a tray in the middle of the picnic. He lit it and watched as its flame cast some additional dancing shadows across the room. He looked from his watch (7:54) to the picnic and sighed. He hoped Kurt would like it, or at least acknowledge that he tried.

Just as he was about to get up, he heard a key slide into the lock of the door in the hallway, a clicking sound, and then Kurt as he entered the apartment.

"Can you believe the power is out again? God, we should have picked that apartment on the second floor. I know we liked the view from here, but really…" Kurt's rant slowed to a halt when he entered the living room and saw Blaine kneeling on the floor, surrounded by the picnic and candles. His eyes widened as he gasped. "Oh," he whispered in awe as he brought a free hand up to his mouth.

Blaine scrambled to his feet, careful not to knock anything over. He was so worried about wanting to please Kurt that he took his reaction as a negative one.

"Hey! I'm sorry." Blaine made his way over to Kurt, talking with his hands the whole time. "I had this whole thing planned, but then the power went out and I couldn't get to the stuff in the fridge so I had to improvise, and it took me forever to find that candle that you bought that you said you didn't, but I knew you did, and I'm sorry I didn't change out of my work clothes yet, I had an outfit picked out and everyth-,"

Blaine's diatribe was cut off by Kurt's mouth closing in over his own. After the initial shock, a whimper escaped from the depths of his throat as he leaned into Kurt's kiss, their mouths moving together until they were both forced to stop and take a breath. Blaine went to continue his apology speech, but Kurt reached up and pinched his lips closed.

"Blaine Hummel-Anderson, I am tired of you apologizing all the time." Even though the room was dark, Kurt could see his husband's face flush in the glow of the candlelight. "Now, let me take off these shoes, and then we can enjoy this lovely surprise picnic you set up, okay?" Blaine nodded and Kurt gave him a quick peck on the lips that were sticking out between Kurt's fingers.

A few minutes later, the two men were seated across from each other on the floor. Blaine poured them both a glass of wine and each man raised his glass to toast the other.

Blaine jokingly cleared his throat, but then assumed a serious look on his face. "To my husband. My best friend. My life. I have loved you forever and I will love you for always." He started to choke up, causing Kurt's eyes to tear even though he had a huge smile on his face. "Happy Anniversary, Kurt."

Kurt leaned over and kissed Blaine chastely on the lips before settling back down. He wiped a stray tear from his eye with his free hand as he held his wine glass out toward Blaine. "To my husband. My best friend. My everything. I love you, Blaine." They clinked their glasses together. "Happy Anniversary."

They each took a sip from their glass and sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, munching on the food Blaine laid out for them. Both men were exhausted from their busy days at work.

After awhile, Blaine looked over at Kurt, who was looking around the room at the boxes that still needed to be unpacked. "Hey, it's only our second anniversary once. Quit looking at the boxes and let me feed you some Thin Mints."

Kurt scrunched up his nose, balled up a napkin and threw it at Blaine.

"Kurt! Watch the candle!" Blaine grabbed the napkin, even though it fell a good foot away from the candle. "Good thing you're married to one of New York's Bravest…" Blaine leaned over and wiggled his eyebrows at his husband. They both chuckled as Blaine held out a cookie. Kurt bit half of it, and then Blaine popped the rest of it into his own mouth.

"You know," Kurt swallowed the cookie and took a sip of his wine before continuing, "as terrified as it makes every time you go down to the station, I really can't imagine you doing anything else. You are brave and I'm so proud of you. I'm proud to be with you."

Blaine was taken aback by the compliment. They each told each other that they loved the other all the time, but he's always pleasantly surprised when Kurt says something like that, especially so nonchalantly. It made Blaine feel special and loved. He was always thankful that Kurt was back in his life and knew he was the luckiest man in the world to be his as long as they both shall live.

"Thank you." Blaine was still completely smitten with Kurt and probably would be forever. Who gets to marry their childhood best friend? "God, I love you. Remind me to call Finn and thank him for burning down your kitchen."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You tell him that every time you talk to him."

"I know. But that doesn't mean I mean it any less." Blaine got real serious real fast, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Maybe it was the wine talking, but part of it was his heart aching constantly for the man who was sitting mere feet away from him. "I love you. And, I… when we… I just missed you so much, Kurt. When my family moved after the fire, there was just this hole…" He was starting to get emotional. He choked on his words as he made a hand gesture in front of his chest. "And then there you were…. But I can't lose you again, Kurt. I can't." Tears fell quickly down Blaine's cheek as he looked down at the floor.

Kurt's face crumbled a bit as he crawled over to his husband and wrapped him in a loving embrace. "Oh, Blaine." Kurt rubbed circles on his husband's back with one hand and ran his other through the hair near Blaine's neck. "Hey, I'm here. We're here. Okay?" Blaine nodded into Kurt's shoulder. "We can't change what happened. We can't. But you know what? It'll never happen again because you're stuck with me forever. I'm in this till death do us part, okay? I didn't just say that to say it. We're in this for the long haul, buddy."

Blaine laughed through his own tears and pulled back so he could look his husband in the eye. Kurt wiped Blaine's tears with his thumbs and then kissed him. "I love you so much," Kurt whispered against Blaine's lips. "So much."

When Blaine settled down and they were finished with dinner – "Blaine, I loved it, I swear." – they blew out the candles in the living room, left their empty wine glasses and plates for later, and stumbled their way to the bedroom. They would have tripped with the lights on. Kurt and Blaine were all over each other; attaching their lips to any piece of skin they had access to as they shed their clothes like leaves falling from trees at the height of autumn.

The power may have been out, but their love, need and want for each other continued to burn.


	6. Campfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
> 
> (Also, Kurt and Blaine are 30 in this chapter, btw...)

Chapter 6 – Campfire

They had only been at the cabin for a few hours, but already Kurt had four mosquito bites.

SMACK. "Oh, gross… wait, if there's blood when I kill it, that means it already bit me, doesn't it? Great."

Make that five.

"Can you blame them, baby? Your skin is just so delicious," Blaine mused as kissed his way up his husband's neck, hands wrapped firmly around his waist.

Kurt scrunched his face up at Blaine's comment but still leaned into his touch. He let out a moan, "Ugh, I can't believe you talked me into coming up here."

Blaine smiled, knowing Kurt wasn't really that upset about their weekend trip to upstate New York. "Hey, it wasn't my idea." He kissed Kurt on the lips, slowly at first, but then deepening it. It was his turn to let out a moan, but this one wasn't out of frustration.

"DA-A-AD!"

Kurt smiled against Blaine's lips. Blaine in turn scrunched up his nose at Kurt, and then turned to yell out the open kitchen window, playfully matching the annoyed tone of their daughter, "WHA-A-AT?"

"YOU SAID IT WAS SMORES O'CLOCK!"

Kurt quickly put a hand over his mouth to try and muffle a chuckle. Blaine tried to shoot him an evil look but he himself was laughing.

"Hush, you!" Kurt mimed zipping his mouth shut, but his body still shook with laughter. Blaine walked over to the screen door and opened it, finding his daughter standing by the unused fire circle.

He couldn't help but smile. He and Kurt always wanted a daughter and decided to adopt as opposed to having a biological child. After a couple years and multiple visits to Children and Family Services, they knew Kayla would be the perfect addition to their little family. When they asked her if she was okay with having two dads, she said she didn't care as long as they would tuck her in and read her stories at night. They chuckled and agreed. She rose her eyebrows, held out her hand and made them each shake on it. She had them wrapped around her fingers ever since.

Kayla was standing with one hand on her hip and the other holding a large stick, waiting to roast her first marshmallow. She had on her green Princess Tiana dress overtop a hoodie, some jeans and rain boots.

"Well?" My, she was extra sassy tonight. Blaine shot her a look. "Sorry," she muttered. "Puh-lease can we make smores now, Dad?"

It was Kayla's sixth birthday and she was the one who convinced her dads to go camping. Well, Blaine was all for the idea the minute she suggested it. Kurt only caved after Kayla gave him the saddest pout he ever did see with her pudgy, quivering lips and big, brown puppy dog eyes. He knew she must have learned that trick from Blaine because he saw them High-5 each other as he was turning around to leave the room.

"Yes, baby girl, we can make smores now. Why don't you go help your papa find the chocolate bars and stuff and I'll start the fire, okay?"

Kayla smiled wide, dropped her stick and ran into the cabin. "PAPA!"

Blaine laughed as he started to pile some logs into the fire circle.

It took Kurt and Kayla less time to bring out the smore stuff than the fire to get to the proper marshmallow roasting temperature. Blaine continued to stoke the fire as Kurt and Kayla sang and danced to their own medley of Disney songs.

When the fire was finally ready, Blaine interrupted his two favorite people. "All right, my dears," he glanced down at his wrist where a watch would be if he were actually wearing one. "I think it's finally Smores O'Clock…"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY !" Kayla ran over to where she had dropped her stick as her dads laughed. She grabbed it and dragged it over to the table where Kurt had placed the tray of smore stuff.

"Okay, Bug, hold on." Kurt called out to his daughter before she could tear into the bag of marshmallows. "Lemme help you, okay?"

Kayla nodded her head up and down quickly, indicating she understood, but also that she'd like her papa to hurry up. Kurt picked up the bag of marshmallows, opened it, and tugged one down on the end of Kayla's stick.

Before she had the chance to run over to the fire, Blaine put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. She looked up at her dad with pleading eyes, but he was in protective mode and could not be swayed by her sad face. "Now baby girl, you need to be very, very careful around the fire because it's very dangerous. You need to stand next to me and we'll roast your marshmallow together, okay?"

Kayla nodded slowly and Blaine smiled. "Okay. Now let's make some smooooooooores!" Kayla's grin returned in full force as she and her dad walked over to the fire.

Kurt sat down in a chair next to the table with the tray of smore stuff. He broke a graham cracker in half and put it and a quarter of a Hershey's bar on a plate, ready for when Kayla was done with her marshmallow. He broke off a corner of the remaining chocolate bar and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly as he watched the loves of his life. Right at that moment, he didn't care that he was getting mosquito bite number six – he was just so happy.

"PAPA, LOOK!"

Kurt smiled as Kayla ran over toward him, pointing at the roasted marshmallow on the stick that Blaine was carrying over toward him. It was burnt at the top and completely uncooked at the bottom, but to all the Hummel-Andersons, it was perfect. Blaine held the stick as Kurt used the graham cracker halves to pull the marshmallow off to make the smore. "Here you go, Bug." He promptly handed the treat over to Kayla, whose eyes were big as saucers. "Bon appétit."

"Thank you, papa!" She took a big bite of the smore, looked up at Blaine and talked through her food, "Mfank oo 'ad."

"You're welcome. Happy Birthday, baby girl."

Kayla smiled as she wolfed down her smore and managed to get marshmallow fluff all over herself. Kurt was prepared and had wet naps on the tray of smore stuff. He took each of her hands gently in his, one at a time, and wiped the goo from her fingers. Blaine laughed as his daughter tried to squirm away. Kurt looked up to glare at him, but his expression softened as Blaine mouthed, "I love you." Kurt smiled and reciprocated, "I love you too."

When Kurt was done with Kayla's hands, she grabbed another marshmallow from the bag and shoved it onto her stick.

Kurt stood up and snaked his arm around Blaine's waist as Blaine called over to their little girl, "Kayla, sweetie, why don't you put a couple more on there… I think your papa and I want some smores too."

Kayla nodded and got to work loading marshmallows onto her stick. Meanwhile, Blaine kissed Kurt and both men couldn't help but smile against each other's lips. Kurt murmured to his husband, "Yeah, I want some more…" They went in for a second kiss when Kayla interrupted them by clearing her throat. Each man raised his eyebrows and looked down at their daughter, who was now standing right in front of them, one hand once again on her hip and the other holding a sagging stick which now had close to a dozen marshmallows on it.

"Are you guys done yet?"

They turned and smiled at each other.

"Never."

The Hummel-Andersons stayed outside well into the night. Kayla hit her sugar high early and then crashed hard. She fell asleep in Blaine's lap, third smore crusted to her hand.

Blaine and Kurt sat back in their chairs and watched the fire crackle from afar.

"Well, I call this night a success. I'm really glad we came up here," Blaine said sincerely.

Kurt laughed through his nose. "Oh, like I had a choice in the matter. You know there was no way I could say no to her and that sad face she put on. I wonder who she learned that from?" he asked in a teasing voice. Blaine chuckled and kissed Kayla on the head. Still asleep, she repositioned herself so that her face was buried closer into his neck.

"I love you so much, Kurt. And Kayla. God, she is the coolest kid," he said with utter reverence as he stared at the remnants of the fire in the fire circle.

Kurt nodded as he followed Blaine's gaze. They sat in comfortable silence for a while longer, watching the coals burning bright.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note - Thank you for taking this ride with me. This was my first multi-chapter fic I ever wrote, so I apologize if it didn't quite live up to your expectations. Have an awesome rest of your day :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

Epilogue

The Hummel-Anderson's lives were perfectly imperfect. Everyone was super busy almost all the time. But, a busy family is a happy family (for the most part).

Kurt launched his own line of haute couture menswear that got picked up by high end retailers throughout major cities in the US, Europe and eastern Asia. Blaine worked long hours at the fire station. Kayla stayed busy with school, excelling in all her classes as she worked her way toward college.

When schedules allowed for family dinners, each Hummel-Anderson would tell the others about their day. As Kayla grew up, there was always some club or sports activity she participated in, so she always had plenty to share. Kurt would talk about various designs he planned on using for the next season's line. Blaine told stories about other firefighters at the station, but would often gloss over facts from his day so as not to scare his family. This worked for a while until one night when Kayla was at a friend's house for a sleepover and Kurt and Blaine had their house to themselves. Clothes came off quickly and hands revisited the other man's body as lips, teeth and tongues roamed everywhere. It took a few minutes, but Kurt eventually found something he wasn't used to seeing on his husband's body – fresh stitches and some small burns.

They had fights over the years. Usually they were over stupid things like Kurt forgetting to take out the trash, or Blaine accidentally shrinking one of Kurt's favorite shirts. Sometimes they would yell at each other (more often than not "I love you, but I don't have to like you right now!"), but on a whole the house was pretty civil. Blaine's hidden injuries (the aftermath of an rescue gone wrong at work that day), however, caused Kurt to lose it. There was shouting and tears. Mostly tears.

Kurt and Blaine did not make love that night. Instead, they held each other until the sun came up, confessing their fears and promising nothing less than complete honesty – regardless of consequence – from that day on.

There was never any doubt that they wouldn't get through this. Kurt and Blaine were resilient. After being separated for ten years in their youth, neither man could stand being apart from the other, regardless how angry or upset he got at any given time. Their love was strong. Their love was lasting. Their love was forever.

Together Kurt and Blaine watched their daughter grow into the strong woman they always knew she would be. Kurt designed her prom dresses and later her wedding gown. Both dads walked her down the aisle and gave her away. Their proud smiles during the reception gave way to seemingly endless tears that night when Kurt and Blaine rocked each other to sleep.

They grew old, but they did so together. Blaine watched Kurt's mounting frustration when arthritis set in and he could no longer sketch designs by hand as often as he liked. When Blaine eventually retired from the fire department, Kurt felt immense pride at the service his husband had provided to the city and the lives he helped save over his 45-year career. Tears raced down his cheeks as he hugged Blaine after his retirement ceremony, forever thankful that his husband was never badly injured, or worse, on the job.

They celebrated joyous occasions and anniversaries. They mourned losses of family, friends and colleagues. They were the epitome of the cute old married couple, but that's probably because they had been acting that way their whole lives. Sometimes Kurt and Blaine would sit around and laugh at their younger selves, wishing they knew then what they knew now – that they would end up together forever. Best friends. Loving husbands. Soul mates.

Their love for each other was like an eternal flame, always burning. Sometimes it burned hot and bright, like those rare moments of pure bliss they had when their daughter was at camp or after she went away to college. Sometimes it burned steady and strong, like when Blaine put on a brave face and held tight to his husband's hand as they found out the results of Kurt's potential cancer scare (the lump was benign). But it burned. It always burned.

Their flame never flickered. Their flame never died.


End file.
